Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I just went to the movie today and found it to be confusing because I had to choose a specific seat before purchasing. Now I was in K.C,Mo.. Corporate AMC is located here and they said it was being tested. All modern technology with computer screen for seat selection. So I was wondering if it is also being tested in the Downtown Disney AMC theatre in Anaheim? Has anybody else experienced this at their local theatre? I was surprised more confused because I figured somebody might be in my seat by mistake or something and how would I handle that,etc...I don't know about this but they said it would guarantee a seat for me. I guess it is a good idea if it was during a crowded time- which I try to avoid. One other thing is the seat selection screen did not make it clear where the front of the theatre/screen was. I do not mind these modern changes except for when it makes everything more expensive and then the newest technology proves useless or it never works right. A new dept store opened with fancy elevators that spoke to you and announced door opening, door closing, first floor. etc: And it has not worked properly from day one. It is constantly being worked on...
Originally Posted By Mr X They do that in many theaters in Japan, I think it works great. Did they give you a seating chart to look at? Kinda weird they didn't make it clear where the front was! I've had times where we've actually shuffled around our plans to wait for a later show with a near perfect seat...it's nice to have such an option.
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster Arclight in Hollywood does that. And they have a bar. Best theater in L.A.
Originally Posted By irishfan All the cinemas here in Sydney Australia I go to all have designated seating, I love it. You can book your tickets online in advance and choose where to seat, a definite plus.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 So do they charge you less if you have to take a crappy seat, or are they all the same price? I know before all seats cost the same, but at least then you actually had a fair chance of getting a good seat. In this scheme, you know your seats ahead of time, and I think, like live-theater, they should charge less for crappy seats.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Wow, is this new? They have been doing that in the UK for about 15 years at least now. Book on line, in the theatre or on the phone.
Originally Posted By LuLu Our local theater, which opened a year or so ago, has reserved seating for *some* shows. If you haven't been to the theater before, it's impossible to know which seat you'd prefer. We happened to choose a non-reserved showing of Avatar and got what I'd consider "perfect seats" when we showed up about 10 mins before showtime. (Lots of people were seated but somehow these seats in the center of the primo row were empty!) So far the reserved seating hasn't worked that well for me, but if you go often, I'm sure you figure out the best way to do it, and prefer it to random seating.
Originally Posted By dlkozy And what do people do when after having selected seats-you find a person in "your" seat?
Originally Posted By dlkozy Here in CA you are lucky if you can find an employee to fix the sound of a movie much less have help getting a person out of "your" seat.
Originally Posted By Mickeysbestfan We don't have AMC near us. We have a newer theater and it's awesome. Seats are not reserved. The theaters are a small family run business with only about 10 theaters in N.Cal. We also have a few theaters not too far from us that serves food and drinks including beer and wine.
Originally Posted By ni_teach They only do that at one theater at The Bridge over here on the Westside. The other theaters are first come first serve. Minor plug: The Bridge is one of the best theaters in the city. The seating is good and they do a great job of keeping the place clean.
Originally Posted By oc_dean >>All the cinemas here in Sydney Australia I go to all have designated seating, I love it. You can book your tickets online in advance and choose where to seat, a definite plus.<< As I'm discovering this for myself irishfan, the Event theaters near the QVB didn't have a system where I could pick my exact seat. I ended up moving out of my seat and took a seat much closer to the screen. Learning Sydney area theaters is an experience. (I still prefer many theaters in LA and OC as the seats are far more comfortable, and have wall-to-wall screens. Arclight/Cinerama Dome .. still my personal favorite. But I'm still looking forward to Imax near Darling Harbour. WORLD'S LARGEST, with 120 foot wide-100 ft. tall screen! That alone outdoes anything SoCal has!! I have been in AMC14 in DtD many times ... and for the tourist crowds it gets .. assigned seating may not be the best idea. Too many chances for someone to end up in your seat. It's really a "local" thing for local people who have chosen their favorite theater, for the longterm.
Originally Posted By Ohana its ok in some circumstances, but it can also be an excuse to charge more. a few times i picked what looked to be good seats, but once in the theater, i didnt want to be near teenagers, so i moved away anyway, so there was no point.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***So do they charge you less if you have to take a crappy seat, or are they all the same price? I know before all seats cost the same, but at least then you actually had a fair chance of getting a good seat. In this scheme, you know your seats ahead of time, and I think, like live-theater, they should charge less for crappy seats.*** Some places in Tokyo have a "premium section", basically a square within the square of seats, and also colored differently...in that case they cost more, but I've never paid for them because I've found that center seats either right behind the premiums or right in front are good enough for me.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney I have seen movies in over a dozen different countries now including Australia and Japan that Irishfan and Mr. X mentioned, and ALL of them have designated seating. I been doing it for over 10 years now. In fact, the ONLY place I been to that doesnt have designated seating is America lol. Its funny because I just came back from AMC Downtown Disney with a friend and I was telling her how its still odd for me to go to a theater here and NOT reserve a seat in advance anymore. I dont like it, I miss reserving seats in advance actually. Honestly, you just get use to doing it and it saves you a lot of time of not worrying about lining up 3 hours before some big movie just to get a seat...especially if you do it online!
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle Yeah, most cinemas here have assigned seating - it's only been for I guess a couple of years now. It took me a while to get used to but I prefer it now. >>And what do people do when after having selected seats-you find a person in "your" seat?<< That's where it can get annoying. I've had it happen a few times but never in a busy movie, so I've just taken nearby seats and hoped no one would then come along and complain that I was in THEIR seats! Of course you have the option to ask the people to move, but I've never bothered - but I've seen people do it and the others have moved straight away. >>I still prefer many theaters in LA and OC as the seats are far more comfortable<< I find the seats at the Dendy a lot more comfortable than Birch/Event seats, but then I've only ever been to the Dendy in Brisbane, so I really don't have any clue what the seats are like in Sydney... so... that was helpful, right?
Originally Posted By Mr X ^---loved WD's enthusiasm for internet ticket reservations and all that, but sometimes it can be tough to make definite plans when the question is "Hey bro, we can go see Lord of the Rings at the Cineplex an hour from your house at 6:45pm two weeks from Thursday, they've still got great seats! You in?".
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^LOL, true Mr. X, that is the one downfall about internet ticketing and reserve seating, things go real fast, especially first weekend sometimes. But me and you been to a few movies together in Tokyo and I dont remember having a problem just showing up and getting decent seats. In fact, I remember when me and you saw LOTR: ROTK in a really busy and new theater the day of and it was fine, but I think it was a weekday that happened.
Originally Posted By Mr X I totally remember that (no idea if it was a weekday though)...in Roppongi Hills right? Talk about a maxed out place! Didn't we walk past a high class bar and restaurant on the way to the screening room? I was thinking to myself "are we in the right place!?". And yeah, unless you're trying to grab center seats for Spiderman 4 on the first Saturday it's out, it's usually NOT a big deal at all. Simply walk up to the ticket window and select a showtime, and you get to pick your seat. If you think the seat kinda sucks, you can ask to see what the seats are like for the NEXT showtime (usually a half an hour later)...as opposed to having to show up and line up as early as you can and then run into the theater and try to grab the best seat, this works great. Can't believe it hasn't become popular in America YET! Talk about a backwards country!!
Originally Posted By WorldDisney ^^Yep good memory X, it was Roppongi Hills back in 2004!! I only seen two movies there, but its an amazing theater. Its pretty cool like the Archlight Cinema is in Hollywood. I honestly cant tell you which one is cooler, but Roppongi Hills probably because its still Tokyo . Anyway yeah, getting good seats has never been much of an issue with reserved seating from my experience. Unless you try and get a seat 15 mins before showtime on a Saturday night opening weekend or something, you usually always get something decent walking up to the window at least an hour before. And thing is, these days, with stadium seating, its really hard to get an awful seat unless you are thrown waaay up front, on the side or waaay in the back (and some people like those seats anyway--freaks!!) then most seats your eyes easily adjust after a few minutes if you are not in the dead center.
